Sokoto State Command of the Nigeria Immigration Service (NIS) has rescued no fewer than 17 victims of human trafficking on their way to Niger Republic.
Parading the victims in Sokoto yesterday, Comptroller of the State Command, Mr. Abdulmalik Abdulmuminu, said the victims were nabbed by immigration officers at the weekend in Illela local government area.
According to him, the victims were on their way to Italy via Niger Republic. He explained that in the course of interrogation, the victims confessed that they were heading to Italy and intend to reach there through the Mediterranean.
The comptroller decried the high incidence of human trafficking in recent times and advised parents to monitor their wards against being misled by unscrupulous individuals.
He added that the victims have already been handed over to NAPTIP for further investigation. Meanwhile, the Zonal Coordinator of National Agency for the Prohibition of Trafficking in Persons, Mr. Shehu Omar, has expressed dismay over the high incidence of human trafficking in the country.
He said the agency had rescued at least 125 victims of human trafficking in the last two months.
The NAPTIP coordinator said the victims would be trained on vocational skills to enable them acquire skills they can use to fend for themselves.
The victims, who included nine females and eight males, lamented that they embarked on the move to Italy because of lack of jobs and poverty in the country.
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